NAMASKAR! A warm welcome to 'World News: an Indian perspective on AKASHVANI. This is NIPUNIKA SHAHID bringing glimpses of the major developments of the day from across the globe. Over the next half an hour, we shall bring to you the latest from the world of politics, economy, sports, entertainment and more.

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THE HEADLINES:

⦁ Prime Minister Narendra Modi calls Indian diaspora main contributor in building mutual trust and respect between India and Australia.

⦁ Indian government working with G20 nations to promote tourism in the country, says, Union Tourism and Culture Minister G. Kishen Reddy.

⦁ Second meeting of  G-20 Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group begins in Mumbai on Tuesday.

⦁ India hands over 20 Broad Gauge Diesel Locomotives to Bangladesh under grant assistance.

⦁ Pakistan's Former Prime Minister Imran Khan gets interim bail in eight cases related to violence that erupted at Judicial Complex in March.

⦁ Truck driver who crashed outside White House charged with threat to kill president.

⦁ Indian athlete Neeraj Chopra becomes world number one in men's javelin throw.

⦁ And, Indian shooters create history by winning two individual medals in Women’s skeet event of ISSF World Cup Shotgun tournament in Kazakhstan.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said, the India-Australia relationship is based on mutual trust and respect and the real reason behind it is the Indian diaspora. Mr Modi was addressing a community event at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney on Tuesday. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also attended the event.

Prime Minister Modi said, despite geographical distance and different lifestyles, Yoga and Cricket are something which have kept people of the two countries connected for ages. He added that now Tennis and Movies are also connecting bridges. Mr Modi asserted that India has the world's biggest talent factory and the International Monetary Fund considers the country as a bright spot in the global economy.

During the event, Prime Minister Modi announced that India will open a new consulate in Brisbane.

In his address, the Australian Prime Minister said, when he had visited India in March this year, he felt a deep connection between the people of Australia and India.

On the occasion, the two leaders also renamed the Sydney suburb as Little India.  

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi met prominent public figures of Australia and the CEOs of Australian companies. He reached Sydney on Monday on the last leg of his three-nation tour.

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In today's hotspot section, we bring you a news commentery on Forum for India-Pacific Island Cooperation.

HOTSPOT-FIPIC SUMMIT

Prime Minister Narendra Modi jointly chaired the 3rd Summit of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC Summit) with Prime Minister James Marape of Papua New Guinea at Port Moresby on 22nd May 2023.

The Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation was launched during Prime Minister Modi's visit to Fiji in November 2014. It consists of Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. Prime Minister’s visit coincided with the visit of the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Papua New Guinea and the US plan to seal a defence partnership agreement.

Though these countries are relatively small in land area and distant from India, many have large exclusive economic zones (EEZs), and offer promising possibilities for fruitful cooperation.

India's focus has largely been on the Indian Ocean where it has sought to play a major role and protect its strategic and commercial interests. The FIPIC initiative marks a serious effort to expand India's engagement in the Pacific region. India has increased the annual "Grant-in-Aid" from USD 125,000 to 200,000 to each of the 14 Pacific Countries for community projects of their choice, and launched a new Visitors Programme for Pacific Island Countries.

The second summit of the Forum for India Pacific Cooperation in Jaipur on 21-22 August 2015 has made significant progress in strengthening India's engagement with the 14 Pacific Island countries.

Speaking at the 3rd India-FIPIC Summit, Mr. Modi focused on India’s commitment to assist the development goals of the member countries of FIPIC and said New Delhi will continue to help the Pacific island states in “every possible” way. The Prime Minister said the whole world is facing new challenges today and there are hurdles in global Food, Fuel, Fertilizers and Pharma Supply chains. He added that when COVID and other testing times affected the world, India was there to support the Pacific Island friends. India considers its responsibility to convey the concerns, expectations and aspirations of the Global South to the world through the G-20 Indian Presidency. He added that in Indian ideology, the whole world has been seen as One Earth, One Family, One Future - Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam that is India's core inspiration. He said India has set ambitious targets on the issue of climate change and encouraged all to join the mission Life- Lifestyle for Environment that was launched last year by the Prime Minister himself. The year 2023 has been declared as the International Year of Millets by the UN. India has given the status of “Shree Ann” to this superfood. They require less water for cultivation and are nutritionally rich. Shri Modi said that millets can make a significant contribution to ensuring sustainable food security in the region. Whether it is digital or space technology, health or food security, climate change or environmental conservation, India is with the FIPIC nations.

Speaking at the event, Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape said that they are victims of global power play. He said that Pacific Islands nations will rally behind the Indian leadership at global forums. Mr Marape also urged Mr Modi to be an active voice for the small island nations at global forums such as G20 and G7 attributing him as the leader of Global South.

Prime Minister Modi thanked Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Marape for the warm welcome and for co-hosting the 3rd FIPIC Summit. Both leaders took stock of their bilateral relations and discussed ways and means to further strengthen their partnership across various sectors, including trade & investment, health, capacity building & skill development and Information Technology. They also discussed issues related to climate action and promoting people to people ties. The Prime Minister reiterated India’s support and respect for the priorities and wishes of the Pacific Island nations.

The Governor-General Sir Bob Dadae of Papua New Guinea conferred Prime Minister Modi the nation's highest civilian award, the Grand Companion of the Order of Logohu.He received the award for championing the cause of unity of Pacific Island countries and spearheading the cause of global south. This is the highest civilian award of PNG and recipients of the award are titled "Chief". In a rare honour for a non-Fijian, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been also conferred with Fiji’s highest civilian award, “the Companion of the Order of Fiji'', in recognition of his global leadership. Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka presented Prime Minister Modi with a medallion for the title when the two leaders met in Port Moresby.

Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Papua New Guinea highlights the growing strategic significance of the Pacific Island nations that has also received attention from China which signed last year a security agreement with the Solomon Islands.

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India's Tourism and Culture Minister G. Kishen Reddy has said, the Government is working with G20 nations to promote tourism in the country. The Minister was speaking at the third G20 Tourism Working Group meeting under India's Presidency which was formally inaugurated at Srinagar on Tuesday. Mr. Reddy said, Government is committed to working with all G20 countries and other stakeholders to promote sustainable growth of the tourism sector. He expressed optimism that the joint efforts made by the delegates and stakeholders of trade and tourism will result in inclusive and action-oriented progress.  

Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, Dr Jitendra Singh, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and over 60 delegates from 29 countries were among those who attended the event.

Talking to Akashvani News on the sidelines of the G20 Meeting on Tuesday, Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Apurva Chandra asked tourists to visit Jammu and Kashmir, saying the law and order situation has improved, and there is no reason for fear.

Interacting with media-persons on the sidelines of the G20 meeting, Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha said, attracting foreign tourists to Jammu and Kashmir will be an immediate outcome of the G20 event. He said, the G20 delegates will act as ambassadors to present Jammu and Kashmir as a peaceful tourist destination. He said that Jammu and Kashmir is ready to host an International event of any magnitude. The Lieutenant Governor said, 18 million tourists visited the Union Territory last year which is unparalleled since independence. He added that the new film policy and ease of doing business have changed Kashmir into a favourite film destination.

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The second meeting of the G-20 Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group (DRRWG) began in Mumbai on Tuesday. The deliberations in Mumbai are aimed to build upon the theme emerging from the first DRRWG meeting "Financing for DRR", held in Gandhinagar from the 31st of March to the 1st of April this year.

On the sidelines of the meeting on Tuesday, the National Disaster Management Authority in collaboration with various knowledge partners organised a day-long side event titled ‘Financing Disaster Risk Reduction’.

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The 3rd Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG) meeting under India’s G20 Presidency concluded in Mumbai on Tuesday. The primary agenda of the 3rd ECSWG meeting was the detailed discussions on the draft Ministerial Communique which entailed constructive discussions and deliberations on priority areas. Picking up the thread from the Focus Group Discussions which had been conducted by the Indian Presidency over the past three weeks across all the three thematic priorities, the discussions were conducted with a steadfast resolve of being collaborative and inclusive. The outcome documents were discussed line-by-line and the member countries presented their respective viewpoints.

The three-day meeting witnessed the participation of 141 delegates from G20 countries and 10 invitee countries. The representatives of 14 international and regional organisations also attended deliberations conducted over the 3 days.

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India's Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal on Tuesday said, the five proposals put forth by India in front of the Technology and Investment Working Group (TIWG) have been welcomed by the Member countries and invitees. Addressing media persons in Bengaluru on the sidelines of the second meeting of TIWG that began on Tuesday, he said that the proposals put forward under G20 India Presidency were considered useful and the concept was welcomed by the Working Group members. These proposals will be discussed during the deliberations on Wednesday. The five proposals from India are to evolve high-level principles on digitisation of trade documents. This will prevent lengthy paperwork in cross border trade and enable the certificate of origin to be cleared through electronic channels. The second proposal is to prepare an action plan to create a Meta Information Portal for MSMEs for easy access to market and information on tariff, logistics and financial support. The third proposal is regarding the creation of a framework for mapping global value chain and the fourth one is to create a compendium of best practices on Mutually Recognition Agreements. The fifth proposal is on G20 Regulatory dialogue to exchange good regulatory practices on quality standards. 

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India's Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said that the security of the country's borders is the priority of the Narendra Modi government and without securing villages, borders cannot be kept safe. Inaugurating a workshop on the 'Vibrant Villages Programme' in New Delhi, Mr. Shah said developing Vibrant Villages will add an extra layer to the border security of the country. He said Prime Minister Modi has conceptualized ‘Vibrant Villages Programme’ with a lot of devotion and in the spirit of the Constitution that every border village should get all facilities. He added that since 2014, Prime Minister has made efforts to improve border infrastructure, followed by introducing public welfare schemes for border villages. He said the programme is being launched to stop migration from border villages. He stated that government considers border villages as the first villages and not the last villages of the country.

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Bangladesh received 20 Broad Gauge (BG) locomotives from India on Tuesday which will help augment the capacity and efficiency of Bangladesh Railway for handling the growing volume of passenger and freight train operations in Bangladesh.

The locomotives were handed over at the Darshana-Gede Interchange point and virtually flagged off by India's Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Bangladesh Minister of Railways, Md. Nurul Islam Sujan received them on behalf of the Government of Bangladesh. These 20 locomotives are part of grant assistance from India which fulfills a commitment made during the visit of Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina to India in September 2022. Earlier, in July 2020, India had handed over 10 BG locomotives to Bangladesh.

Speaking on the occasion, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that Railways are playing a vital role in improving and strengthening rail connectivity across the border and improving trade between both countries. He said currently five BG rail lines are operational between the two countries. Work on two more cross-border rail connectivities, Akhaura-Agartala and Mahihasan-Shahbazpur are progressing well and are likely to be completed and commissioned shortly.

Rail connectivity is one of the key components of the bilateral development partnership between India and Bangladesh. Railway sector projects of over 300 million dollars under the Indian Line of Credit have been completed already, and projects worth over 1.69 billion dollars are at various stages of implementation.

Bangladesh Rail Minister Md. Nurul Islam Sujan thanked India for providing the locomotives. He expressed the hope that collaboration between the two countries in the railway sector will increase further.

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Bangladesh will strengthen security on its border with Myanmar to check the influx of drugs into the country, said Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan in Dhaka on Tuesday. Briefing media after a meeting related to the Rohingyas and the law and order situation in Bangladesh, Home Minister said the government has decided to enhance patrolling and intelligence surveillance by law enforcement agencies to prevent the influx of drugs and movement of terror groups from Myanmar.

The number of check-posts will also be increased to prevent terrorist groups like Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army and Arakan Army from carrying out criminal activities inside Bangladesh, said the Minister.

Expressing concern over incidents of crime in Rohingya camps of Bangladesh, Home Minister Asaduzzaman said a massive operation will be conducted to recover drugs and weapons in the Rohingya camps.

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THIS IS AKASHVANI, GIVING YOU THE WORLD NEWS.

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Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Court today granted interim bail to former Prime Minister Imran Khan in eight cases registered against him until the 8th of June. Multiple cases were registered against Imran Khan after clashes erupted between police and his supporters before he appeared at the judicial complex on the 18th of March.

Security was beefed up today at the judicial complex and the NAB office ahead of Imran Khan's arrival and a heavy contingent of police were deployed to deal with any untoward incident.

The court after hearing arguments extended interim bail of Imran Khan. The judge also directed the Joint Investigation Team to inform the court how they want Imran Khan to join the investigation. Meanwhile, Khan, in his statement said he is ready to join the investigation.

Earlier, Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi was also granted interim bail in the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case until the 31st of May. The accountability court approved the pre-arrest bail plea to Khan’s wife and directed her to submit a surety bond of five lakh rupees.

The National Accountability Bureau is conducting investigations into the former prime minister, his wife Bushra Bibi, and other PTI officials for their roles in a deal the PTI government made with a property tycoon that reportedly caused a loss of 190 million pounds to the national exchequer.

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A man who crashed a truck into security barriers near the White House faces multiple criminal charges, U.S. Park Police said today following an overnight incident that authorities said may have been intentional.

The driver of a truck was charged with a threat to kill, kidnap or inflict harm on the president, vice president or a family member, among other charges, the U.S. Park Police said in a statement. He also faces charges of assault with a dangerous weapon, trespassing, destruction of federal property and reckless operation of a vehicle.

Earlier, U.S. Secret Service said it had detained the man following the crash and there were no ongoing danger and no injuries.

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In Sri Lanka, a team of the International Monetary Fund, led by Peter Breuer and Masahiro Nozaki, acknowledged the positive developments in Sri Lanka's macroeconomic situation, attributing them to strong policy efforts. In a statement, the IMF mission said that Inflation has shown signs of moderation, while the exchange rate has stabilized, and the Central Bank has been successful in rebuilding forex reserves buffers. At the same time, the statement added that the overall economic and policy environment remains challenging.

During the visit, the IMF team engaged with various stakeholders, including President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Governor of the Central Bank Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, senior government officials, opposition parties, civil society organizations, think tanks, trade unions, the private sector, and development partners. The mission stressed that Continued reform momentum and the timely implementation of program commitments are essential for Sri Lanka to overcome the current economic crisis.

Earlier in March this year, IMF had approved a 3 billion dollar bridge financing package in the form of an extended fund facility that would be available to Sri Lanka over multiple tranches over 4 years.

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Sri Lanka's National Consumer Price Index-based inflation has shown signs of easing. According to Sri Lanka’s statistics department, headline inflation stood at 33.6 percent year-on-year for April, a decrease from 49.2 percent in the previous month.

Food prices experienced a significant decline, dropping to 27.1 percent in April from 42.3 percent in the previous month. Non-food inflation, on the other hand, remained high at 39 percent.

The drop is being attributed to reduced prices of fuel and gas following the appreciation of the Lankan rupee against the dollar by almost 15-18 percent. Inflation had hit a high of 73 percent in September last year as the island nation spiralled into its worst-ever economic crisis since its independence in 1948. Sri Lanka has been grappling with its worst financial crisis in seven decades, primarily due to economic mismanagement and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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INDEX Dubai 2023, the prestigious international exhibition celebrating its 30th year, commenced at the Dubai World Trade Center on Tuesday. This highly acclaimed event showcases the latest trends and innovations in the interior furnishings world. With over 1,000 local and international companies in attendance, including trend-setting start-ups and renowned brands, INDEX Dubai is a buyer's paradise and a gathering of industry influencers.

The India Pavilion takes center stage, featuring 29 member exporters of Indian Handicrafts. Representing a wide range of products in Home, Fashion, Lifestyle, Furniture, and Textiles.

The India Pavilion is jointly organized by the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts, the Carpet Export Promotion Council, and the Cotton Textile Export Promotion Council.

The remarkable presence of Indian Handicrafts at INDEX solidifies their status as showstoppers, captivating the attention and admiration of International businesses and visitors from around the globe. INDEX 2O23 will conclude on the 25th of May.

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The key domestic indices today ended with marginal gains. The Sensex at the Bombay Stock Exchange closed near the 62,000 mark while the Nifty at the National Stock Exchange settled near 18,350 level. Both indices rose amid mixed cues from global share markets. A report from the business desk-  

The Sensex gained 18 points to finish at 61,982. The Nifty also appreciated 34 points to end at 18,348.

Asian Stocks traded mixed. South Korea's Kospi rose 0.4 percent and Singapore's Straits Times index added 0.2 pecent. On the other hand, China's Shanghai Composite index plunged 1.6 percent and Hong Kong's Hang Seng declined 1.2 percent. Japan's Nikkei-225 slipped 0.4 percent. In intra-day trade, European Markets were also mixed.

Oil rose more than one percent amid support from a tighter market outlook due to a seasonal rise in demand and supply cuts from OPEC producers. In intra-day trade, Brent crude was trading at 76 dollars and 90 cents a barrel.

Back Home, Gold prices, at Multi Commodity Exchange for June contracts, were trading at around 59,850 rupees per 10 gram. On the other hand, silver was trading at 71,430 rupees per kilogram for July Contracts.

And In the forex market, the rupee closed at 82 rupees and 80 paise against the US dollar. Anubha Rohatgi for World News, AKASHVANI.

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India's Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Neeraj Chopra once again scripted history as he became the number one Javelin thrower as per the new rankings released by World Athletics. Chopra currently leads the list with 1455 points, 22 points ahead of Grenada's Anderson Peters. Chopra had been at the No.2 position since August 30, 2022, but overtook Peters, the reigning world champion, this week. Czech Republic's Jakub Vadlejch is placed third with 1410 points with Julian Webber of Germany in fourth with 1385 points.

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Indian shooters Ganemat Sekhon and Darshna Rathore created history at the ISSF World Cup Shotgun in Kazakstan on Tuesday. Ganemat won silver medal while Darshna claimed bronze medal in the Women’s individual skeet event at the tournament. It was for the first time that India won two individual medals in women’s skeet at the senior ISSF World Cup.

Ganemat Sekhon was on track to win a gold medal but settled for silver after missing five of her last 10 shots. Tokyo Olympian Assem Orynbay, from Kazakhstan went on to bag the gold medal.

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Now let us take a look at the major developments around the world, as reported in the Foreign Press.

⦁ The Wall Street Journal reports, Apple Strikes Multibillion-Dollar Supply Deal With Broadcom.

⦁ The Guardian writes, H5N1 virus in Brazil, wild birds prompts animal health emergency.

⦁ The Japan Times reports, Japan seeking 2032-33 non permanent membership of U.N. Security Council.

⦁ South China Morning Post writes, Beijing’s new research ship expected to explore contested waters.

⦁ The Globe and Mail writes, Protesters in Ethiopia’s Tigray demand withdrawal of outside forces.

⦁ The Financial Times reports, German coalition in crisis over plans to ban gas boilers.

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REPEAT HEADLINES

⦁ Prime Minister Narendra Modi calls Indian diaspora main contributor in building mutual trust and respect between India and Australia.

⦁ Indian government working with G20 nations to promote tourism in the country, says, Union Tourism and Culture Minister G. Kishen Reddy.

⦁ Second meeting of  G-20 Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group begins in Mumbai on Tuesday.

⦁ India hands over 20 Broad Gauge Diesel Locomotives to Bangladesh under grant assistance.

⦁ Pakistan's Former Prime Minister Imran Khan gets interim bail in eight cases related to violence that erupted at Judicial Complex in March.

⦁ Truck driver who crashed outside White House charged with threat to kill president.

⦁ Indian athlete Neeraj Chopra becomes world number one in men's javelin throw.

⦁ And, Indian shooters create history by winning two individual medals in Women’s skeet event of ISSF World Cup Shotgun tournament in Kazakhstan.

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And now, before we end, let us listen to Mahatma Gandhi's favourite bhajanVaishnav Jan, by artists from PAPUA NEW GUINEA.

And With That, We End This Bulletin. We'LL Be Back At The Same Tomorrow With The Next Edition Of World News.

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